Building an x-ray machine and letting everything go to your head

It’s not every day one of the builds on Hackaday gets picked up by a big-name publication, and it’s even rarer to see a Hackaday contributor grace the pages of an actual print magazine. Such is the case with [Adam Munich] and his home-built x-ray machine.

We first saw [Adam]’s x-ray machine at the beginning of this year as an entry for the Buildlounge/Full Spectrum laser cutter contest. [Adam] won the contest, landed himself a new laser cutter, and started writing for Hackaday. Now that [Adam] is gracing the pages of Popular Science, we’re reminded of the story of Icarus, flying too close to the sun.

[Adam]’s x-ray machine is built around a Coolidge tube, the same type of vacuum tube found in dental x-ray machines. The device is housed in two suitcases – one used as a control panel and graced with beautiful dials and Nixies, the other housing the Coolidge tube and power supply. Proper x-ray images can be taken by pointing a camera at the scintillation screen, allowing [Adam] to see inside hard drives and other inanimate objects.

Sure, it’s a build we’ve seen before but it’s still very cool to see one of Hackaday’s own get some big name recognition.

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Wow, way to be sore about someone’s success! Are you seriously calling the guy full of himself, and saying that he’s setting himself up for a (potentially fatal) fall, because he’s garnered mainstream recognition? You liked him better when he was underground?

I would think of it to be great that this guy is getting more than his usual recognition, here on HAD you post many works of the mainstream engineers( ie. BenHeck). Just be proud of him, and if he gets to cocky he will figure it out for himself.

I was trying to get more info on this guy’s x-ray machine. It looks like the main components are just ‘unboxed’ from a portable x-ray device. Most people think x-ray is akin to magic so they don’t as too many questions.

Does someone have a link that details what exactly this guy did and DID NOT do?

That article included congratulations. No interpretation needed. We’re proud of him, even though we literally had no hand in what he did. It is awesome to get attention like that.

On Brian’s icarus comment, I was just guessing, as you were. He could have also meant that Adam shouldn’t go nuts with X-rays and fry himself with radiation now that he’s gotten some attention. This even makes more sense in the context. I don’t know.